Systems and methods for generating an entity diagram

Abstract

Methods and systems for generating an entity diagram include, in one exemplary embodiment, a user using a processor that executes the program code to generate the entity diagram. The process for generating the entity diagram includes generating an entity diagram with one or more entities and one or more relationships, grouping the one or more entities by a first dimension, and grouping the one or more entities by a second dimension. The process further includes rearranging the groups based on the grouping according to the first dimension, rearranging the entities based on the grouping according to the second dimension, and adjusting one or more relationship links corresponding to the one or more relationships. After the one or more entities and relationships are rearranged and adjusted, the user may access an updated entity diagram.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]This disclosure relates generally to data presentation. More particularly, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for providing an entity diagram.BACKGROUND[0002]Entity diagrams, such as entity relationship diagrams, are frequently used to enable a targeted audience to comprehend complex relationships between various entities. An entity diagram may include one or more entities and one or more relationships among the entities. An entity may refer to any object that can be described by data. For example, an entity may be a database record, a computer programming object, or a business object such as a business organization or a business process.[0003]Entity diagrams can be most valuable when they depict a large number of entities and relationships. For example, a complex database design may be presented as a large entity diagram denoting the structure of various data models. The value of an entity diagram with a large number of entities may be severely dimi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]Methods and systems for generating an entity diagram are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, a user may use a processor to execute program code to generate the entity diagram. The process for generating the entity diagram includes generating the entity diagram with one or more entities and one or more relationships, grouping the one or more entities by a first dimension into one or more groups, and grouping the one or more entities by a

Problems solved by technology

The value of an entity diagram with a large number of entities may be severely diminished when a user cannot easily understand the relationships among the entities, or when a user has to spend a significant effort to manipulate the nodes and relationship links to make the diagram comprehensible.

The process of generating a complex entity diagram may be complicated by the presence of a large number of nodes and a large number of relationships in the diagram.

Dispersed nodes make the relationship links excessively long in the entity diagram, possibly making the diagram difficult to read.

The process of generating a complex entity diagram is further complicated by the variety of logical relationships that exist among the entities represented in the diagram.

Numerous and complex logical relationships in an entity diagram may be presented using relationship links that overlap or cross each other, making the diagram appear cluttered.

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